Poppin' Eric's Cherry
by Poppin' Cherries
Summary: WINNERS have been announced! CONGRATULATIONS! Click on contest profile or read Ch. 2 to see all of our winners and honorable mentions.
1. Contest Announcement

**NEW DEADLINE!**

**Entries accepted through Sunday, December 13th**

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**Announcing a new First-Time Writers contest! **

"**Poppin' Eric's Cherry"**

**Hosted by s . meadows ****and ****VampLover1**

**Wanted: Virgin and Almost-Virgin writers from all walks of life!**

Have you always wanted to write, but never felt like you had an opportunity? Have you gotten your feet wet once but are nervous about trying to post again? Well here is your chance to write a one-shot and finally say goodbye to your publishing virginity!

We want you to pop YOUR cherry with the most swexy Viking vampire in history! Yes, that's right, spend the night with Eric Northman and then give him over to us!!

As you know, Eric Northman is very old… over 1000 years, so he is having trouble remembering how he lost his… um… cherry. Was it on a tiger rug in front of a fire, or maybe while covered with whipped cream on a kitchen counter? (yes, they had Formica and whipped cream back then!) For heaven's sake! Let us know!

We want your most creative story about how Eric entered manhood! Or, if you prefer, you can write a story about how Eric helped someone _else_ lose their virginity! We just want cherries popped and Eric Northman involved! The story can be canon, AH, or AU (All-Human or Alternate-Universe); and please feel free to pair up Eric with anyone… woman or man! (giggles)

**This contest is ONLY open to first-time writers (Virgins) and one-time published authors (Almost-Virgins).** Haven't you always wanted to gain 'experience' with a Viking?

Click on the author profile for this story for all of the juicy details!

All of the stories will be placed in the contest community (C2) as they are validated. Check them out at: **http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot) net/community/Poppin_Erics_Cherry_One-Shot_Contest/75492/**

We have set up a "Poppin' Eric's Cherry" thread on The Sookieverse forum. We encourage you to visit there to ask questions about the contest, pimp your entry, or discuss the contest in general. Check out the thread here: **http://forum(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/topic/55534/19821235/1/**

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**Attention New Writers:**

FFn says that: **a beta reader (or betareader, or beta) is a person who reads a work of fiction with a critical eye, with the aim of improving grammar, spelling, characterization, and general style of a story prior to its release to the general public.**

Please make sure to have your contest entry read for typos and grammar mistakes by a Beta Reader! Remember, any entry that has not been beta'd will be disqualified. To have your entry beta'd, just send any of the lovely ladies below a PM and ask them if they would like to be your beta reader; or else, you may work with any beta of your choice! FFn has a search option for Beta Readers by category. There are many beta readers listed under SVM. Feel free to read their profiles and contact them directly. Thank you!

**The following have volunteered as Beta Readers for the Poppin' Eric's Cherry contest:**

DeeDee: http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/450392/DeeDeeINFJ

Team Jane: http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/1884798/Team_Jane

Missus T: http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/1729178/Missus_T

HopeStreet: http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/1758033/HopeStreet

Krismom: http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/1826676/krismom

ammNIwriter: http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/1929997/ammNIwriter

ShutterbugMom: http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/1836595/ShutterbugMom

Miss Construed: http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2035443/Miss_Construed

MM: http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/1901189/mischievousmaya

Sunkisz: http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/1875977/Sunkisz

youbettago: http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2001653/youbettago

uvgotto: http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/1907493/uvgottobekidding

If you would like to be added as a beta reader, please just let us know! Thank you so much to all our Beta volunteers! *hugs*


	2. WINNERS announced

**VOTING POLL CLOSED: **

**WINNERS HAVE BEEN SELECTED!**

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We had a wonderful turnout of submissions for the "Poppin' Eric's Cherry" Contest; congratulations to ALL of our talented emerging authors for taking that first big step by sharing their creations with us!

Thanks to everyone who took the time to read the entries and vote for their favorites. Special thanks to s. meadows and Zigster for co-creating contest banners for the winners; and to our lovely judges for their time and commitment to the contest!

The process for selecting our winners was divided into two parts: Judges' Selection and Voting Poll.

Our judges were provided with the text of a story, as well as a scoring rubric and comments sheet, but they did not have the name of the author. They read each story anonymously.

The scoring rubric covered criteria such as writing style, grammar usage, diction, characters, dialogue, structure, and creativity. Each category was assigned a numerical value which totaled 100 points.

The comments sheet was designed to give the writers constructive feedback on their story. Each writer was sent a feedback letter compiled by all five judges, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the story, as well as suggestions for improvement.

Once each judge scored and commented on all thirty-one stories entered into the contest, a judges' chat took place to pick seven finalists for the voting poll. Then each judge was asked to submit her ranking of the seven finalists, resulting in our Judges' Selection winners.

FF readers had the opportunity to vote on the seven finalists as well. These results produced our winners for the Voting Poll. Now, without further delay…

**Voting Poll winners:**

**1****st**** Place:** _The Pact_ by smfogleman

**2****nd**** Place:** _Best and Right_ by tradermare

**Judges' Selection winners:**

**1****st**** Place:** _Digging In_ by jen4310

**2****nd**** Place:** _The Heights_ by sarita. alex

**Special Honorable Mentions:**

Although these four stories were not selected as finalists for voting consideration, they stood out in quality and originality, and the judges would like to recognize these authors with Honorable Mentions. Please take the time to read and review these very special stories, if you haven't done so already. They are not to be missed!

(_In alphabetical order by title_):

**25 to 1** by krismom

How many licks does it take to get to the center of…Eric Northman? In this heart-breaking (yet humorous) account of how a first love is lost and of how nameless bodies will do nothing to sate the pain, a man learns that he cannot seek solace until he learns to dance again.

**PlayMate** by serendipitous imp

This haunting, dark tale takes readers back through time and history, exploring the enduring connection between a young Viking and a mysterious woman. Rich detail and strong writing, paired with a creative and unusual plotline, make this a truly memorable story.

**Tag, You're It** by FortyonePercent

Compelling writing, laced with light humor, really sets apart this touching story. Follow the emotional journey of human Eric and Sookie, from the joys of childhood to the pain of adolescence. Strong characterization and a well-developed plot enhance this lovely 'relationship' tale.

**Welcome Home** by AllHailAugustus

This daring and original story ventures into darkness when a young man's trust is betrayed and his freedoms are taken away. Blackmailed and tormented by his own feelings of guilt, he must learn to cope with the aftermath of his life-altering summer abroad. Profoundly written and emotionally charged, this story calls attention to the very real danger of trusting the wrong people.

Congratulations again to all of the winners, honorable mentions, and finalists. We are thrilled that this contest has generated so many new talented authors to the fandom, and we look forward to reading even more fabulous fan fiction from them in the future!

Keep writing, our lovely cherries, keep writing!

**Meads and VL1**


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